I read that the constant sideways tension from the belt could cause problems even for the FC over time. That means a half crank powertorque would have no hope coping. It's strict purpose is to freely spin a disc directly off the crank -which it excels at.
I wonder how the Briggs and Honda's fare?

Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!